Exercising Keeps Your Mind Strong – Here’s Why
“Why Is This Important?
Because this is the first comprehensive study to show environmental factors can affect dementia.
Long Story Short
A report by British health charity Age UK has stated that some basic lifestyle changes can help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, something which has never been proven before.
Long Story
For the first time a study has shown definitively that environmental factors are crucial in preventing dementia. British health charity Age UK reviewed academic studies and data and found that 76 percent of cognitive decline is down to lifestyle, including factors like level of education.
The report called The Disconnected Mind has led to five steps being suggested to help prevent the development of dementia conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which currently affects one in six people over 80.
Regular physical exercise is the most important factor, as well as a healthy diet, not smoking and drinking in moderation. Avoiding or treating diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity is also crucial.
A study of British people conducted over 30 years found that men aged between 45 and 59 who ticked four or five of those lifestyle boxes had a 36 percent lower chance of developing dementia than those who did not.
Although a link between lifestyle and dementia has long been presumed, this empirical evidence is new and Age UK hopes it will encourage people to pay attention to guard themselves against the debilitating condition.
“While there’s still no cure or way to reverse dementia, this evidence shows that there are simple and effective ways to reduce our risk of developing it to begin with,” Age UK director Caroline Abrahams says on the charity’s website.
This development comes hot on the heels of the discovery of the brain’s weak spot that allows the development of dementia, so the armory for fighting cognitive decline seems to be ever increasing.”
Read more via the link above, and read here about The Disconnected Mind research project that aims to discover how our thinking skills change with age, and what we can do to protect our cognitive health in later life. The project is funded by Age UK.
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Yet another reason for ‘Energiser Bunny’ to keep doing what she’s doing!!!!
Regular exercise in the outdoors is a great way to relax the mind and socialise with friends, another important lifestyle aspect to help in holding back the disease. Have a great Christmas Kate.
The possibility of prevention, but is it capable of diminishing it as well???? Now that would be nice. Get your running shoes on Kate 🙂 Blessings and love to you…VK ❤
There is research evolving to suggest exercise and other non pharmacological interventions can indeed slow down the progression… many of us are also proving that! Love and hugs to you VK xx
It seems they have the answer to why we get alzheimers, I don’t think it is the only reason as I have never smoked, drank alcohol. I am not obese I eat a healthy diet do not have hypertension and ran regularly at least 6 kilometres, and was a qualified nurse I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 61 years of age. I’m still very fit so I must just be unlucky. However I don’t feel sorry for myself because I still have a purpose in life.
Les.ley, I totally agree with you, and as always, a research paper is never the whole story. I always find it offensive when researchers state people woith younger onset dementia are usually uneducated, overweight, don’t exercise, and use cigarettes, drugs and/or alcohol to excess, which is obviously the the case in so many I know well, and which sounds to be the case for you!!! Keep on with having a purpose, the greatest robber of all, especially living well, is not to have one.
Yes, and I think it’s important to KEEP exercising in order to slow down the progression of the disease once one has it. That’s my totally unscientific POV based on a research sample of 1. 🙂
Haha, you made me laugh! You can make that 2 unscientifically researched samples of exercising (and other stuff!!) after diagnosis slowing down the progression of dementia… xx
Done 😉
AmazingSusan made me laugh too! Well done. Thanks for the article Kate. I’m just in from my run so I’ll grab a coffee (another apparent goodie according to recent research) and hope you have a lovely day. x
Thanks Denise…. you too! xx